The Foundation honored industry leaders Greg Berlanti and Ava DuVernay with Patron of the Artists Awards for creating significant professional opportunities for performing artists to work and thrive. In addition, the Foundation honored performing artists Jennifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo with Artists Inspiration Awards for using their platforms to advance philanthropic and humanitarian causes.
Previous Patron of the Artists Award honorees include Spike Lee, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ted Sarandos, Kathryn Bigelow, Judd Apatow, Lee Daniels, Megan Ellison and Rob Marshall. Previous Artists Inspiration Award honorees include Lady Gaga, Harrison Ford, Kate Winslet, Lionel Richie and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The 4th Annual Patron of the Artists Awards also included several incredible musical performances by award-winning recording artists, and was followed by an outdoor after-party catered by Wolfgang Puck.
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Patron of the Artists Awards is an annual fundraiser that benefits its vital emergency assistance and free educational programs for SAG-AFTRA artists, as well as its Emmy® nominated children’s literacy program Storyline Online® that features actors who read to over 9 million children worldwide every month.
